Kylie
by onlyhalfinnocent
Summary: They had been cheating death for five years, getting into gunfights and bomb scares. But this was one that only one person would walk away from. And Castle won't be getting out unchanged. Set mid-season five after Probable Cause.


**My first fic, try not to be too harsh! If it sucks, tell me. If it turns out to be the best, (which probably won't happen) then tell me. Pretty straightforward, a simple case with a twist. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, that'd be nice.**

The pain. Oh God, the pain. It was unbearable. Whenever she took a step, it felt like it would it send licks of fire shooting up her side. The blood was hot and thick, soaking her jeans. Tears clogged the back of her throat. She had to get away, away from Julie, away from Jake, away from Tyson. Another stab of pain had her crying out in agonizing pain.

Without any warning, her leg collapsed from under her, sending the girl to the dirty, littered alley floor. The tears flowed freely now, washing away the blood. Or maybe it just made the blood smear. She couldn't tell. Everything was so hazy, all blurring together.

Kylie. The name swam through her thoughts, appearing at the forefront. Oh God, she had to warn Kylie. The girl's face popped into her mind, making her smile even through the pain.

Kylie. She was going to die. He had told her so himself.

Kylie, she thought. Save yourself.

Kylie, she thought, Run.

Kylie.

Detective Kate Beckett stepped out of her cruiser in a no-nonsense suit and heels, looking particularly sharp on the cool autumn morning. Her brown eyes took in the scene: a dirty alley, shrouded in shadows and secrets. The lights of the cruisers threw the alley into different lights, flashing from red to blue. Uniforms were already going over the scene, pulling trash bags and boxes from a heap in the corner.

"Huh. Not what I was expecting when they said Upper East Side," Castle said, looking at the dark and dismal alley.

Kate smiled, a rare thing at a murder scene. Her grin disappeared when she saw Lanie beckoning for her. Swiftly, the detective moved to the ME, taking in every detail. The body was sprawled on the ground, almost like she had fallen. Her blonde hair had fallen all around her head like an angel. Her blue eyes stared up at the night sky, lifeless. Lanie crouched next to the body in her professional way.

"What do we know?" Kate asked.

Lanie looked up. "Victim was in her late teens, most likely seventeen. Cause of death was a stabbing. Unfortunately, there was no ID on the vic. We're dealing with a minor Jane Doe."

Kate exhaled slowly. Great. She was at least hoping for a name, so that the case would be considerably shorter. Guess not. It was gonna be a long case.

"Kate?" It was Castle. His blue eyes held concern. "You okay?" It was then she realized she had been staring, lost in her thoughts.

She put on her smile and nodded. "Of course," she replied curtly. She felt his eyes on her, even as she turned away. Lanie looked at her curiously, but continued.

"Our vic had rope burns around the neck, from a heavy duty nylon rope."

Castle looked at the ME. "So she had a rope tied around her neck, yet she wasn't strangled?"

"I can't be sure yet, but there are no signs of it."

"Yo Beckett!" It was Esposito and Ryan. They strode over to where Castle and Beckett were.

"Please tell me you have something good," Beckett said tiredly.

Ryan shook his head. "We couldn't find any ID or murder weapon in the garbage, but we did find this." He held up a green and white nylon rope.

"Isn't that just like the one-" Castle began.

"No," Kate interrupted, her voice edged. "You shot him, Castle. He fell off a bridge with bullets in his chest. There is no way he's involved."

"Okay fine. But why would someone use the same kind of rope that a famous serial killer would use?" He shot back defensively.

"I don't know Castle. But it's our job to find out. So, let's go back to the precinct and do our job." She crossed her arms, with a sense of finality to it.

He sighed. "Fine."

"Welcome to the Twelfth Precinct. This floor is the homicide division. Who can tell me what

that means?" the tour guide asked. It was a field trip of kids from some high school, one Kate couldn't remember. There was a group of about twenty kids, boys and girls. They were all loud and obnoxious.

"Great," Kate mumbled to herself, turning back to the murder board.

"Are you sure that we shouldn't cover that up? It's a pretty gross picture," Castle pointed out.

"And not solve the case? Come on, Castle. They're all seniors. Plus, they're in a forensics class. They've seen dead bodies before," she shot back. "Besides, Castle. You get to talk to kids about playing cop. Isn't that fun?"

He chuckled and sat on the edge of the desk. His smile left his face when he looked at the victim. "She was so young," he said softly. "She was Alexis's age."

Kate looked at him. She had forgotten, being too wrapped up in remembering her mother's murder, that Castle hadn't seen Alexis in a while and thought about her a lot. She put her hand on top of his.

"Hey," she said quietly. "Alexis is safe. She's at college, for heaven's sake. She can take care of herself."

Castle smiled. "I know, I just worry," he said.

"And this is the famous mystery novelist Richard Castle and his muse, Detective Kate Beckett." The group was upon them, blocking their view of the murder board. Immediately they were peppered with questions. _What's it like working with a writer? Are you two together? What's the weirdest case you've had? _The questions were endless. Castle was doing his best to answer, but even he was having trouble. "Alright, alright. Time to move on." The group shuffled away, moving to Captain Gates. However, one stayed behind. She was an average looking girl with messy brown hair pulled into a ponytail. Her eyes were gray, with a ring of black on the edge. They were traveling all over the room. She wore a black hoodie with a pair of worn jeans and Converse. She was fiddling with something around her neck.

"Can I help you?" Kate asked.

The girl forced a smile. "No thanks, I'm okay," she replied. She started to walk away, but stopped short at the murder board. "Actually, you can. What's this?" she asked. Kate detected a hint of curiosity and something, something she couldn't put a finger on.

"That's our murder board," Kate said. When the girl only gave her confused looks, she explained further. Kate pulled the victim's picture off the board, handing it to the girl. "This is the victim. We found her last night in an alley. The board is to help us find out who killed her, and why."

The girl's hands were shaking. "This girl is...is dead?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

Kate was on high alert. "You know her?" she said. Castle's head snapped up.

The girl nodded slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, I do," she said quietly. Her entire body was shaking, and her hair fell into her eyes. "This is- was Skylar. She was my best friend. I haven't seen her- haven't…" That was when she broke. The picture fell to the ground and she fell to her knees, her entire body shaking as she sobbed. Castle was immediately there next to her, whispering in her ear, rubbing her back, attempting to do something- anything, to help her. Kate dropped to her knees and stroked the girl's hair, trying to help her.

"What's your name?" Kate asked softly, making eye contact with Castle.

Slowly, the girl's sobs died down to sniffles. She looked at Kate with a fire in her eyes, one Kate saw every day she worked on her mother's murder. She spoke one word.

"Kylie."

**Alright, mini-cliff hanger. Review, rate, heck, give it a follow or fave! But be nice! I'm posting the next chapter soon unless all the reviews say "Dear God, don't torture us like this by making us read another one of your terrible writing pieces!" I hope that doesn't happen though. If anyone is willing to be my beta, just PM me. I did this one without one so that means that it won't be the best I can do, but hey. I tried.**

**-Eliza**

**tumblr: onlyhalfinnocent**


End file.
